Baby #2 // 37 Weeks

Happy, happy October! The very best month! I made sure my outfit for these pictures was full of fall colors to celebrate.

Time for what will likely be my last bumpdate for this pregnancy. (If I go past my due date, I'll probably do one more.) Home stretch! Home stretch! And the best part? I haven't hit the "I'm done being pregnant, get him out!" phase yet! During my first pregnancy I hit the wall when I was 35 weeks, so it's great that I've made it even further this time. I'm hoping this means my hormones will stay in check all the way until the end, and maybe even that my post-pregnancy hormones won't be that bad.

Baby is: the size of a watermelon, more or less. Yikes, so big!

Sleep: I'm tired all the time, so naps are a regular occurrence. Some nights I fall asleep quickly, other nights... not so much. I can never tell what kind of night I'm going to have. At least I only have to wake up once to use the bathroom!

Symptoms: Mild heartburn. Occasional back pain and headaches. Minor swelling has started up--mostly in my feet and legs--but also in my face and fingers, so my rings are tight some days. On those days I just wear a fake ring I got from a Prize Candle! My legs keep trying to have charley horse cramps, but I always manage to stop them from happening. (Except one time, and then my calf muscle was sore the rest of the day.) Oh, and is having a constant sweet tooth a symptom, or just a fact of life? Haha!

Braxton Hicks: I have a handful throughout the day, but they're not painful at all.

Mood: As I said, my mood hasn't gone crazy yet. Weeks 38-39 were the worst for me in terms of mood (and symptoms in general) during my first pregnancy, but every pregnancy is different, so... we'll see. I think that keeping busy with Nicole and other things (as well as not having the stress of teaching during this pregnancy) has helped a lot.

Baby's Movement: He really likes to stretch, which can be uncomfortable for me when he's pushing the sides of my stomach in opposite directions. (That's when I put a hand on either side of my belly and push back! Oh that poor, squished kid. Haha.)

My Movement: I'm going to be honest... I think I'm rocking it. I'm still pretty agile, considering I only have 3 weeks left until my due date. I think I have 2 things to thank for this: having a toddler to chase around, and my exercise regime. Speaking of exercise...

Exercise: Still rocking my 6-day-a-week program. I think I missed 3 or 4 days in the past 5 weeks since my last bumpdate, but other than that I'm banging on all cylinders! You should see me in Barre, I'm so proud of how I'm keeping up with all the non-pregnant gals. I genuinely think that my activity level is what has made this pregnancy so great for me. Slower weight gain, less swelling, better mood... it all comes back to exercise. I wish 1000x that I had been this active during my first pregnancy.

Weight gain: I hit my 30 pound mark this weekend. 3 weeks early, dang it! Haha. My weight gain rate picked up in the past couple weeks (I'm sure swelling has something to do with that... but also all the pumpkin cookies and m&m's I've been eating) and so now I'm aiming to not pass 35 pounds by my due date. That's still SO much better than 55 pounds like my first pregnancy! I'm trying to keep in mind that weight gain from swelling isn't something I have control over. Also, I'm getting barely any new stretch marks this time around since I've been so good at controlling my weight gain rate.

Midwife Says: Everything looks awesome. Baby is head down and low in my pelvis, and I seem to be in great condition physically. I didn't have them check my dilation/effacement this past week, so I don't know what I'm at, but I'm pretty sure I'll last until my due date. If he comes a week or two early, I'll be very surprised.

What I've done/bought for baby: Everything is pretty much ready to go. Nicole is still taking naps in the crib until her bed frame gets delivered this week (we had to get a different one) but then she'll be in her "big girl bed" for good and I can get all the purple nursery décor switched over to my main color choice of navy blue. Everything is purchased and washed, I just need to set the room up :) The car seat is installed, my hospital bag is packed, and now we're just waiting! And now I can focus on the urge I've been having to deep-clean my house... if I ever stop napping, that is ;)

Best moments: I love asking Nicole where her baby brother is; she'll come lift up my shirt so she can pat my tummy. Also... getting our renovations on the top floor of our house done last weekend felt really great. There was something so satisfying about putting away the last of the painting equipment! We finished before October! That was my goal! Hooray! I also loved getting to watch General Conference this weekend.

Looking forward to: Meeting our son!!!!! Wow, a son! Newborn snuggles! And I'm really excited to breastfeed again. It's such a sweet experience, and sometimes I wish I went longer than a year with Nicole. Sometimes ;)

SO close, you guys! So close!